


Letters from Nimona

by geri_chan



Category: Nimona (Webcomic)
Genre: Epistolary, Families of Choice, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-06 21:30:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5431466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geri_chan/pseuds/geri_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ballister begins receiving letters from Nimona as the TV news coincidentally--or not so coincidentally--airs reports about shark attacks and abominable snowman sightings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letters from Nimona

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tyleet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyleet/gifts).



> Thank you very much to strix_alba, who betaed the story for me. Any mistakes remaining are all my own.

Ballister hummed to himself as he showered one-armed, enjoying the spray of hot water sluicing over his body. (His mechanical arm was technically waterproof, but it was still best not to subject it to a deluge of running water if it could be helped.)

He shook his head slightly as he stared at the bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and various hair care products that filled the rack in the shower. Really, how much shampoo did one man need? A single bottle had always sufficed for Ballister, but Ambrosius insisted that all of them were necessary to keep his hair smooth, shiny, and clean.

"I have a certain image to maintain, after all," he had insisted defensively. Maybe that was true. He was Sir Goldenloin, after all: the golden knight with the golden reputation. 

"I think I prefer being a villain," Ballister muttered to himself, although he wasn't really a villain any longer. Somehow he had ended up being hailed as a hero after that terrible night when Nimona had gone on a rampage and destroyed the Institution. He felt like a fraud at times, but he tried to use his newfound heroic reputation to help the people of the kingdom as best he could. 

His one regret was that he hadn't been able to save Nimona, though as always, she had managed to save herself. He tried to comfort himself with the memory of her visit to his hospital room disguised as a doctor, because it meant that she had forgiven him--or at least no longer hated him. He hoped that she was safe and happy, wherever she was.

He was just rinsing off when Ambrosius started pounding on the bathroom door, shouting, "Ballister, Ballister--come quick!"

"What's the rush?" Ballister asked, turning off the water and reaching for a towel. "I didn't take even half as long as you--"

"Just hurry up!" Ambrosius interrupted. "You have to see this! I think it might be Nimona!"

Ballister ceased arguing and rushed out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist, hair dripping wet and feet tracking damp footprints across the floor. He followed Ambrosius into the living room, where a news report was playing on the TV:

"...where beachgoers at a seaside resort were terrorized by a shark attack earlier today. We have this footage, recorded by a bystander on the beach."

A slightly shaky video began playing, obviously from a cheap, handheld recorder. Some tourist had probably intended to record his or her outing at the beach and had gotten more than they bargained for. People in the water swam frantically towards the shore as a huge shark pursued them, chasing them up onto the beach where they fled to higher ground, screaming in terror. 

"Well...it might be a real shark," Ballister said doubtfully, not wanting to get his hopes up. But then the shark grinned, opening its toothy maw wide in a decidedly gleeful and mischievous manner.

"I swear, that shark just winked at the camera," Ambrosius said. "Do sharks even have eyelids?"

"Nimona?" Ballister whispered, his heart filling with joy--and then concern. "Damn it, Nimona, don't kill anyone!"

"This was previously recorded, Ballister," Ambrosius said. 

"I know that!" Ballister snapped. "It was a reflex."

Ambrosius patted him on the shoulder sympathetically, and Ballister reached up to lay his hand over Ambrosius's. They didn't talk much about Nimona these days, but they both knew how much he missed her. 

"Uh oh," Ambrosius said as the camera zoomed in on a swimmer who was flailing around in a panicked state, splashing up a great deal of water without much forward motion. The shark shifted direction to hone in on the easy target--or perhaps the swimmer's bright red polka-dotted swim trunks had caught its attention. 

"Nimona, don't!" Ballister shouted, forgetting for a moment that the swimmer's fate, for better or ill, was already decided. "I can't look," he groaned, clapping his hand over his eyes as the shark's jaws opened wider and then snapped shut. 

"It's okay, Ballister--look," Ambrosius said, and Ballister cautiously dropped his hand back to his side. The shark held only a scrap of white and red polka-dotted cloth between its teeth, looking a bit disgruntled as the swimmer managed to put on a burst of fear-inspired speed and made it safely to shore.

"Fortunately," the TV announcer said, "there were no fatalities, although one man suffered minor bite wounds on his buttocks."

Ambrosius tried and failed to suppress a snicker, and Ballister sighed and shook his head in both consternation and relief. "Really, Nimona?" he asked of the TV screen, knowing how pointless it was. "Biting a man in the buttocks?"

"Look on the bright side," Ambrosius said. "At least she didn't eat him."

"There is that," Ballister conceded.

*** 

A few days later, Ballister received a package in the mail. It had no return address, but was postmarked from the seaside town where the shark attack had occurred. He felt his heart rate speed up with excitement, but sternly told himself not to get his hopes up. Even if it was from Nimona, that didn't necessarily mean that she wanted to be part of his life again. For now, he would try to be content that she was willing to make contact with him at all.

"It's not going to explode, is it?" Ambrosius asked nervously, peering over his shoulder. 

"Of course not," Ballister assured him. 

"Are you sure?" Ambrosius persisted. "Your former sidekick has a habit of...shall we say...leaving major property damage in her wake."

"True," Ballister admitted. "But she generally causes damage with her physical attributes rather than explosive devices."

"That makes me feel so much better," Ambrosius muttered. However, he did look less anxious as Ballister opened the package, which contained a large seashell and a letter.

Ballister examined the shell briefly and determined it to be a normal seashell with spiraling whorls and spikes--the sort of thing likely to catch a child's eye on the beach. Whatever else Nimona might be, he believed that she was still a child at heart.

He set aside the shell, and Ambrosius picked it up to take a look at it, now that it had been deemed harmless. He held it up to his ear and grinned, saying, "It's true--you really can hear the sea!"

"It's not really the sea," Ballister informed him. "It is merely an effect caused by the resonance of the shell's cavity--"

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport, Ballister," Ambrosius interrupted. "I know there's a scientific explanation for it, but isn't it more fun to think of it as the sound of the sea?"

Ballister stared at him in annoyance, then smiled as a thought occurred to him. "You and Nimona are more alike than either of you would care to admit." 

For a moment, Ambrosius looked as though he wanted to argue with that statement, then shrugged and held the shell back up to his ear.

"It really is neat, Ballister--you should give it a try!"

"Maybe later," Ballister said, and began reading the letter:

> Hey boss!
> 
> Well, I guess I shouldn't call you that since you're not really my boss anymore, are you? So...hi Ballister, I hope you're doing okay. From what I've seen on the news, it seems like you are. How does it feel to be a hero instead of a villain for a change?

"I would tell you if I had some way of contacting you," Ballister muttered, then continued reading.

> Did you see me on TV? I make a great shark, right? And JUST FOR YOU, I didn't kill anybody! I hope you're proud of me. 
> 
> Okay, well, there was the one guy that I bit in the ass. BUT THAT WAS SO NOT MY FAULT! I only meant to scare him, really. It's his own fault for being so slow!
> 
> By the way, tell Mister Fancy that he'd better be treating you right or I'll come over and BITE HIS HEAD OFF! Just kidding--hahahahaha!
> 
> (Actually...Goldenloin, if you're reading this, I'm not kidding. I really will bite your head off if you break the boss's heart.)
> 
> Love,  
>  Nimona
> 
> P.S. I sent you a souvenir; hope you like it. It's so cool, you can hear the sea in it!
> 
> P.P.S. And please spare me the boring scientific crap about how it's not really the sea. Just go with the flow and have some fun for a change.

"'Mister Fancy'?" Ambrosius said indignantly, reading over Ballister's shoulder.

"I thought you would be more offended by the 'bite his head off' threat," Ballister replied dryly.

"Well, that too," Ambrosius grumbled. "She's always had a homicidal streak, even before we found out that was a..."

His voice trailed off as Ballister gave him a look of warning. He wouldn't stand for anyone calling Nimona a monster, not even Ambrosius.

Ambrosius cleared his throat and continued in an apologetic tone, "It seems like she has at least learned to exercise some restraint, since there were no fatalities at the beach. And besides..." He hesitated, then gently placed his hand on Ballister's shoulder. "I know you've been worried about her. I'm glad to hear that she's all right--even if she did threaten to bite my head off."

"Thank you," Ballister said gruffly.

*** 

A few weeks later, there was a news report about an abominable snowman that was allegedly spotted up north by some mountain climbers, who had taken some fuzzy video footage of a large, ape-like beast.

"Do you think it's Nimona?" Ambrosius asked.

"Unless you believe that abominable snowmen are real," Ballister replied.

"Well, stranger things have happened," Ambrosius said with a shrug. "Although to be fair, most of those strange things have involved your sidekick."

The "snowman" was reported to have roared and made threatening gestures, but did not actually harm anyone--at least not directly. A few climbers had suffered bruises and broken bones when they fell in their haste to flee, but none of their injuries were life-threatening. And far from being scared away, people flocked in droves to the mountain, hoping to get a glimpse of the mysterious creature. They all lived to tell their story in the weeks that followed--to their neighbors, and to journalists and news reporters.

"At least she's having a positive effect on the local economy," Ballister said hopefully.

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," Ambrosius replied more skeptically. But then he grinned and added, "You know, for a villain, perhaps you aren't such a bad role model."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Ballister retorted, but he smiled back at Ambrosius.

*** 

The following week, Ballister received another package in the mail. Along with a letter, it contained a cute, fluffy abominable snowman plushie and an abominable snowman snowglobe.

"Marketing monsters as toys?" Ambrosius asked, shaking his head in disbelief. 

"Sometimes monsters aren't really monsters," Ballister reminded him.

"I suppose you're right," Ambrosius replied. He picked up the globe and shook it, then smiled with delight as the tiny snowflakes swirled and fluttered around the snowman. 

"It takes so little to amuse you," Ballister said, but smiled fondly because he was suddenly reminded of a Christmas at the Institution's orphanage when they were children. Ambrosius had still believed in Father Christmas back then, and he had been ridiculously happy with the paltry sweets and secondhand toy knight that Ballister had snuck into his stocking. 

It seemed that such trinkets still had the power to captivate him, and Ballister made a mental note of it, to be filed away in the back of his mind for later reference when he needed to shop for a birthday or Christmas gift for Ambrosius. Meanwhile, Ambrosius was squeezing the plushie's midsection, causing it to let out a tiny and not very intimidating roar. 

Ballister shook his head again as he picked up the letter and began to read:

> Dear Ballister,
> 
> Did you see me on TV again? I'm turning into a celebrity, don't you think?
> 
> Do you like the souvenirs? Sheesh, they oughta be paying me royalties! So I kind of helped myself to those, since I figured that was the least they owed me.

"She sent us stolen merchandise?" Ambrosius asked indignantly.

"What do you expect?" Ballister retorted. "She was a villain's sidekick, after all. If it bothers you that much, you can always send them back to the shop they were stolen from."

"Well..." Ambrosius clutched the globe and the plushie. "We don't really know which shop they came from. And the postage would probably be more than these toys cost. And..."

"Aren't you supposed to be the hero?" Ballister chuckled, and Ambrosius gave him a sheepish little smile. "Well, as Nimona points out, she is responsible for the recent tourist trade, so I suppose she is entitled to some reward."

That moral quandary resolved, Ambrosius returned to playing with the toys, and Ballister continued to read:

> I'm getting tired of the cold though, so I think I'll go someplace warmer next. I'll send you a postcard or something.
> 
> Love, Nimona
> 
> P.S. Is Goldilocks behaving himself? Remember, I can always bite his head off if you want. MUAHAHAHA!

"First it's 'Mister Fancy' and now it's 'Goldilocks'?" Ambrosius complained. "If she's going to insult me, can't she choose something a little more, well, dignified?"

"I think that would defeat the purpose of being insulting," Ballister pointed out. 

"And did she really write out 'MUAHAHAHA'?" Ambrosius continued, ignoring the interruption. "Seriously, who does that?"

"I suppose she thought it would be properly villainous," Ballister replied. "Although, personally, I think that evil laughter is a tad melodramatic."

"Says the guy who wears a cape and calls himself 'Lord Blackheart'?" Ambrosius asked, raising his eyebrows. "Pot, meet kettle."

"Oh, hush...Goldilocks."

*** 

Ballister continued receiving packages from Nimona, often following news reports about unusual creatures. The next one contained some pinecones from a forest where hikers claimed to have spotted a giant squirrel the size of a horse.

Some time after that, he received a box of assorted tropical fruits after a pink monkey had been spotted swinging through the trees in a jungle. 

"What is it with her and the color pink?" Ambrosius grumbled. He stared down at his palms and muttered something under his breath about a rat painted pink.

A few weeks after that, a box of very expensive chocolates arrived in the mail the day after a shop selling the very same brand had been robbed. The news reported that the police had no suspects at present. 

One witness claimed to have spotted a girl with wings fleeing the scene of the crime. "She just flew right off!" he told the TV reporter. However, the police doubted the veracity of his statement, given that he had been inebriated at the time.

"Is it all right for us to eat stolen goods?" Ambrosius asked doubtfully as Ballister opened the box, revealing several rows of exquisite-looking chocolate truffles.

"It doesn't bother me, but I'm a former villain," Ballister said, popping one in his mouth. "However, if your conscience troubles you, I would be happy to eat them all myself."

"No fair!" Ambrosius protested, reaching for the box. 

Ballister smirked as he replied, "I thought you were too noble to eat stolen goods."

"Well, but we don't have any proof that these were stolen," Ambrosius said. "I mean, the police said that man was drunk, so maybe he just hallucinated the flying girl. And Nimona could have bought the chocolates." When Ballister gave him an incredulous look, he added defensively, "Well...maybe it's not likely, but it's _possible_." In a more virtuous tone, he said, "Besides, shouldn't we presume that she's innocent until proven guilty?"

"How nice of you to give her the benefit of the doubt," Ballister said dryly, and Ambrosius smiled a little guiltily through chocolate-smeared lips.

*** 

The following week, there was news report about a break-in at a testing laboratory for a cosmetics company. Along with an extensive amount of property damage, all the lab animals had been freed from their cages.

"Do you think it was Nimona?" Ambrosius asked.

"Possibly," Ballister replied. "Experimentation on unwilling test subjects is a sensitive point with her. On the other hand, there have been protests against this company, so an animal rights group could be responsible."

Security video footage showed a purple rat among the animals fleeing the building. However, that was not necessarily proof of Nimona's involvement since one of the products being tested was hair dye. Along with the purple rat, there were a few rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs dyed pink or blue, or more normal (if not quite natural) colors like auburn or platinum blonde.

The next day, another package arrived in the mail. There were holes punched in the top of it, and rustling noises could be heard coming from inside. 

Ballister and Ambrosius exchanged a look, then Ballister shrugged and reached for the package.

"Are you sure it's safe to open that?" Ambrosius asked.

Ballister glanced down at the package, which was about the size and shape of a shoebox. "Do you really think that anything lethal would fit in there?" 

"You never know,"Ambrosius said. "There could be a tarantula in there!"

"I don't think that cosmetic companies do much testing on spiders," Ballister pointed out. "Assuming that Nimona was responsible for last night's chaos, it's probably a rodent of some sort."

"Well then, it might be a rabid rat!" 

Ballister raised an eyebrow. "Which one of us is supposed to be the brave and noble knight? What would the public say if they knew that the mighty Sir Goldenloin was afraid of spiders and rats?"

"Oh fine, go ahead and open it, then." Ambrosius crossed his arms over his chest. "But don't blame me if you get bitten by a poisonous spider or a diseased rodent."

Ballister opened the box and they peered inside it to see what looked like a tiny, golden-haired mop. Upon closer inspection, it was a guinea pig with long, silky fur just a couple of shades darker than Ambrosius's hair.

"You might want to get your lance, Ambrosius," Ballister said, deadpan. "It looks absolutely terrifying."

"Ha ha, very funny." Ambrosius reached cautiously into the box to stroke the guinea pig with one finger. It let out a little squeak. "You know, he is kind of cute."

Ballister found a letter within the box. The edges had been nibbled on, presumably by the guinea pig.

> Dear former boss,
> 
> I liberated this little guy from the evil corporate laboratory. (I think they tested shampoo and conditioner on him.) His comrades fled the scene, but he just sat there instead of running. I think he might have been dazed by the smoke because I kind of accidentally knocked over some chemicals in the lab that started a fire. (Seriously, what idiot keeps flammable stuff in fragile little glass bottles?) Or maybe he just didn't know what to do with his freedom since he was raised in captivity all his life.
> 
> So anyway, I took him with me so that he wouldn't be recaptured or burned to death. I'm sending him to you because I thought you could use a new sidekick, haha! 
> 
> Love,  
>  Nimona
> 
> P.S. His name is Goldilocks.

"Can't we call him something else?" Ambrosius groaned.

"We could call him 'Mister Fancy' instead," Ballister suggested, grinning. "But personally, I think that 'Goldilocks' suits him better."

"Well, better you than me, I suppose," Ambrosius told the guinea pig. He picked it up and cradled it in the crook of one arm, then began petting it with his free hand. Goldilocks seemed to enjoy the petting, making a soft rumbling noise as if there were a tiny motor running inside his furry body.

"He's purring, Ballister!" Ambrosius exclaimed. "Like a cat, but not exactly. I didn't know that guinea pigs could purr!"

Ballister smiled, with a touch of nostalgia. As a child, Ambrosius had wanted a pet, but of course such things were not allowed at the orphanage, and if even if they had been, there was no money to buy pet food and supplies. He had once tried taming a stray cat with scraps saved from their meager meals, and had been rewarded for his efforts with painful scratches from the cat and a scolding from the matron, not to mention being sent to bed without dinner that night as punishment. (Though Ballister had of course sneaked some food to him later.)

He sometimes mocked Ambrosius for acting childish, but on the other hand, why shouldn't Ambrosius enjoy the small pleasures he had been denied as a child?

"Where are you going?" Ambrosius called out as Ballister headed towards his lab.

"Since it seems that furball is going to be a permanent resident here, I'm going to build him a cage, of course," Ballister replied.

Ambrosius smiled at the guinea pig and said, "Welcome to the family, Goldilocks."

*** 

Letters from Nimona continued to arrive, but less frequently, at more sporadic intervals. Ambrosius watched as Ballister grew moodier as the length of time between each letter increased. He would cheer up only briefly when a new one arrived, before lapsing back into gloom.

"Come on, Ballister," Ambrosius said in a tone of forced cheer. "How about a round of World Domination? I'll even let you be the Scottie dog!"

"I prefer the trebuchet," Ballister replied listlessly. "Besides, it's no fun with only two people."

"We have Goldilocks," Ambrosius pointed out. "That makes three."

"Somehow I don't think the guinea pig will be much good at World Domination," Ballister said wryly, glancing over at Goldilocks, who sat in his cage placidly munching on a carrot stick.

"You never know," Ambrosius insisted. "He could be a secret evil guinea pig mastermind."

Ballister managed a faint smile and said, "It's all right, Ambrosius. You don't need to cheer me up."

Ambrosius feigned confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about. Are you just chickening out because you're afraid I'll beat you?"

"As if you could!" Ballister snorted. Then in a more gentle voice, he said, "I know you're trying to cheer me up because I miss Nimona." He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. "And really, I shouldn't be moping around like this. I should just be glad to know that she's all right and wants to stay in touch with me. But..."

"But those letters got your hopes up that she'll come home one day," Ambrosius finished quietly. 

"Either she will or she won't," Ballister said briskly. "And since I have no way to get in touch with her, there's nothing I can do about it. And by the way...I can beat you at World Domination any day."

"Oh yeah?" Ambrosius retorted. "Put your money where your mouth is, Lord Blackheart!"

"Bring it on...Goldilocks," Ballister said with a grin. 

"Are you talking to me or the guinea pig?" Ambrosius asked.

"Wheek?" squeaked Goldilocks.

"I'll take you both on," Ballister declared.

 _Who's trying to cheer whom up?_ Ambrosius wondered, but set up the game board. And once they started playing, Ballister actually seemed to be enjoying himself, so Ambrosius was glad to have provided a distraction, at least for a little while

*** 

Still, although Ballister tried not to show it, Ambrosius knew that he missed Nimona and wanted her to come home. Not so long ago, Ambrosius wouldn't have felt comfortable with that idea--he still remembered the dragon-like beast that had nearly killed him.

But during the time since then that he and Ballister had been together, he had seen how much Ballister cared for Nimona. And through her letters and odd souvenirs, he could see that Nimona also cared about Ballister, in her own way. 

To be honest, he felt a little jealous, although he knew that Ballister's feelings for Nimona were fatherly rather than romantic. Even so, there was a small, childish part of him that wanted to be center of Ballister's life and not have to share him with anyone else. 

But it was long past time that he set aside childish selfishness and grew up. If Ballister could forgive Ambrosius for shooting off his arm, then Ambrosius could share Ballister with a weird, shapeshifting adopted daughter.

Besides, she'd rescued Goldilocks, whom Ambrosius had grown quite fond of, so he supposed she couldn't be all bad. And it seemed that she had made an effort to refrain from killing people, if only for Ballister's sake.

Since none of Nimona's packages had return addresses, all that Ambrosius could think of to do was to place an ad in the personals section of the newspaper. Maybe she would see it; maybe she wouldn't, but it was better than doing nothing.

> Dear Shark Girl,
> 
> I'm sure you know by now that BB loves you and misses you. I know that you thought he betrayed you, but he has always been on your side. And I think that you must miss him too, or you wouldn't keep sending him letters. 
> 
> Please come home. 
> 
> Sincerely,  
>  Goldilocks

Ambrosius didn't mention his plan to Ballister, not wanting to get his hopes up, and fortunately, Ballister never read the personal ads. Several days passed without a response, so Ambrosius figured that his plan had failed. Still, out of habit, he continued to scan through the personals, and one day he came across an ad that was so short that his eyes nearly skipped over it:

> Goldilocks,
> 
> Is it really my home? Maybe BB wants me there, but do you?
> 
> Shark Girl

Ambrosius thought it over, then wrote a reply:

> Dear Shark Girl,
> 
> BB considers you family, which means you're my family, too. I've grown quite fond of Goldilocks the smaller, and I don't think a wholly bad person would rescue such a helpless creature. And I hope that when you get to know to me, you'll think that I'm not such a bad person, either. We both care about BB, so we at least have that in common. 
> 
> Please come home.
> 
> Sincerely,  
>  Goldilocks (the bigger)
> 
> P.S. We've been having game night on the weekends, but it would be more fun to play with three people. I'll save the Scottie dog for you.

After that, there were no more letters, news reports, or newspaper ads from Nimona. Ballister tried not to show it, but he grew more depressed, enough so that when he thought Ambrosius wasn't looking, he would cuddle and pet Goldilocks for comfort, even though he usually made fun of what he called Ambrosius's "excessive displays of affection for that little furball".

Ambrosius cursed his not-so-bright idea, but there was no way for him to take it back now. He could only hope that Nimona would eventually choose to resume contact with Ballister again someday.

In the meantime, the holiday season drew near, and Ambrosius tried to cheer Ballister up with Christmas preparations. He insisted on getting a tree and decorating it, and on putting stockings up by the fireplace for Father Christmas to fill.

"Aren't you a little too old to believe in Father Christmas?" Ballister asked.

"Why shouldn't I believe in Father Christmas?" Ambrosius replied, smiling at Ballister tenderly. "After all, I still remember that Christmas in the orphanage when I woke up to see that Father Christmas had brought me oranges and sweets and a toy soldier."

Back then he had believed in a Christmas miracle, but of course now he knew that it was Ballister who had filled his stocking, even giving up his precious toy soldier so that Ambrosius would have a present. Which in a way, was just as much a miracle, and a memory that Ambrosius still cherished.

Ballister blushed and harrumphed, then said gruffly, "Well then, do as you please."

*** 

Ambrosius went Christmas shopping while Ballister was busy working at the lab one day. Picking up some fruit and sweets for their stockings was easy enough, along with a quick trip to the pet shop to buy some treats for Goldilocks.

Choosing Ballister's gift was a more time-consuming matter. It wasn't like there were many shops specializing in equipment for the genius scientist in one's life. And besides, anything that Ambrosius could buy, Ballister could probably build for himself.

 _Board games, then,_ Ambrosius finally decided. He was getting a little bored with World Domination, anyway. So he went to the toy section of a department store and found that a new edition of World Domination had been released in time for the holidays: "World Domination the Second Edition--bigger and better, with even more domination!" 

Ambrosius picked it up, along with a game called "Empire Builder," just in case Ballister didn't like the new, improved edition. And for good measure, he went to the men's department and bought a few outfits, a bit more fashionable than Ballister would normally buy for himself.

"Even a former villain can dress with style," Ambrosius murmured, anticipating Ballister's objections.

On the way out, he passed by the teen department and paused. It was doubtful that Nimona would stop by for Christmas, but on the off chance that she did, he thought that he should have a present ready to prove that he really did consider her family.

The problem was that he had no idea what to get for a teenage shapeshifter. It wasn't like he'd had the chance to talk about fashion or hobbies with her during their previous meetings.

Presumably she liked the color pink since she so often adopted that hair color, but the pink outfits in the store seemed too frilly to suit a girl who liked to turn into sharks and dragons. 

As he browsed through some non-pinkish clothes, he nearly passed over a gray hooded jacket--until he noticed that the hood had been fashioned to look like a shark's head.

Just then, a saleswoman spotted him and exclaimed, "Sir Goldenloin!" Looking thrilled to have a celebrity as a customer, she eagerly asked, "May I help you with something?"

"Yes," Ambrosius declared, snatching the shark jacket off the rack. "I'll take this! And could I please have it gift-wrapped?"

The saleswoman looked a little puzzled by his choice in clothing, but smiled and replied, "Of course, Sir Goldenloin."

*** 

Ambrosius put the presents for Ballister and Goldilocks under the tree, but hid Nimona's present in his underwear drawer, where he was certain that Ballister wouldn't go snooping. (Or at least, he hoped not.) It would only be a letdown for Ballister if he put it out and she didn't show up.

However, as he was heading off to bed on Christmas Eve, he noticed Ballister hanging up a third stocking on the fireplace. 

"Who is that for?" he asked.

"Oh, are you still here?" Ballister said, looking startled and a bit sheepish. "I thought you had gone to bed." He turned away, saying gruffly, "It's for...er...Goldilocks."

"I see," Ambrosius said gently, knowing that the stocking was really meant for Nimona. "I'm sure that he'll appreciate it."

"You had better get to bed and go to sleep, or Father Christmas won't show up," Ballister said, trying to shoo him out of the room. 

"I thought you said I was too old to believe in Father Christmas," Ambrosius teased.

"Go!" Ballister ordered in his best stern, commanding Master Villain voice; Ambrosius found it kind of sexy. 

"Yes, Ballister," Ambrosius replied meekly and left the room, feeling a little disappointed that his Christmas plans required him go to sleep right away--or at least to pretend to.

It seemed to take forever for Ballister to finish what he was doing in the living room and get ready for bed. Repressing the urge to toss and turn with impatience, Ambrosius forced himself to lie still in bed and breathe slowly and evenly to feign sleep.

Finally Ballister got into bed beside him and murmured, "Good night." Ambrosius waited several minutes more until he was sure that Ballister had fallen asleep, then quietly slipped out of bed. 

He got the bag of fruit and sweets he had bought earlier, intending to fill up the stockings and play Father Christmas for Ballister this time. But when he got to the fireplace, he saw that the stockings were already filled with oranges, peppermint sticks, and chocolate knights wrapped in bright foil-paper armor.

Ambrosius laughed out loud, then hastily clapped a hand to his mouth to muffle the sound. "So that's what you were up to," he said softly, still chuckling as he shook his head. "I should have known." But there was no point in wasting the treats he had bought, so he added his own apples and oranges and candy to the stockings, filling them nearly to overflowing. 

He was about to head back to bed when he noticed a large package under the tree that hadn't been there before. Kneeling down to take a look, he saw that the tag said, "To Nimona, From Ballister". Upon further inspection, the package seemed vaguely shark-shaped, with red-and-green tissue paper wrapped around it awkwardly to accommodate what looked like fins and a tail.

"Oh, Ballister," Ambrosius whispered sadly. He really didn't want to see Ballister's feelings crushed when Nimona didn't show up tomorrow morning. But on the other hand...maybe putting out the stocking and the present was Ballister's way of showing that he was still thinking about Nimona, even if she wasn't here to see it. Which from a logical standpoint, didn't make a whole lot of sense, especially from someone who had always put his faith in science. 

On the other hand, love defied logic and science. After all, there had been no logical reason for Ballister to forgive a former friend who had betrayed and permanently maimed him, and yet he had.

Ambrosius ran to the bedroom to get Nimona's present and add it to the ones under the tree. And then he made a silent, fervent wish that Father Christmas would make another Christmas miracle happen and bring Nimona home.

It didn't matter that he was much too old to still believe in Father Christmas, or that the previous "miracle" that he so treasured had been created by Ballister, not Father Christmas. Maybe the point was that there was a little Father Christmas in all of them, and as long as that was true, there was always a chance that a miracle might occur.

*** 

Ballister faked a snore as Ambrosius climbed back into bed. Honestly, he was awfully noisy for someone who was supposed to be sneaking around! Then again, he supposed that someone who was used to walking around in armor probably didn't have much experience in being sneaky. Also, a sneaky person would have picked a better hiding place for his presents than an underwear drawer.

But it did make him happy to know that Ambrosius had been thinking of Nimona as well, and felt strangely touched that Ambrosius had bought her a present. Even if she didn't show up for Christmas, somehow it still comforted him to know that the stockings and presents were there, to prove that there was a place waiting for her if she wanted to claim it.

Ambrosius settled down next to Ballister and draped an arm around him, and Ballister turned slightly to rest in his embrace, faking another snore. And soon they both fell asleep for real, lying in each other's arms.

*** 

Ballister was jolted out of slumber when he felt someone shaking him violently.

"Ballister! Ballister, wake up!"

Without opening his eyes, Ballister growled, "Ambrosius, I know you're excited about Christmas, but it is way too early to--"

"Nimona's here!" 

"What?!" Ballister exclaimed, sitting upright and suddenly feeling wide awake.

"She's downstairs," Ambrosius replied in a more hushed voice. "Asleep under the Christmas tree."

"Let me put on my arm and get dressed," Ballister said.

A few minutes later, they found Nimona still curled up under the tree, fast asleep. There were shreds of torn wrapping paper scattered around her, and she was dressed in the gray shark jacket, and she was clutching a large stuffed shark tightly in her arms.

"Seems like great minds think alike," Ambrosius said with a grin.

"I'm not sure that it requires a great amount of intellect to deduce that Nimona is fond of sharks," Ballister replied, but he smiled back at Ambrosius.

"You guys sure make a lot of noise," Nimona complained as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Can't you see that some of us are trying to sleep?"

"Wheek!" added Goldilocks from his cage in the corner of the room.

"I see that you got started without us," Ballister said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring down at her sternly. 

"When I saw presents with my name on them, I couldn't resist," Nimona replied, grinning up at him unrepentantly. "I got stuff for you guys, too," she added, reaching under the tree to grab some presents. "Merry Christmas!"

Ballister couldn't keep up the stern facade any longer, and let himself smile widely. "Merry Christmas, Nimona."

"Welcome home," Ambrosius added, smiling a bit hesitantly, looking uncertain of Nimona's reaction.

But she just grinned at him and said, "It's good to be back, Goldilocks."

"Wheek!" squealed the real Goldilocks.

"Oops, I guess I'll have to come up with a new nickname for you."

His smile widening with relief, Ambrosius said, "I'll make some hot chocolate, and then we can finish opening presents."

While he ran off to the kitchen, Ballister sat down beside Nimona and placed his hand on her shoulder, saying quietly, "It's good to have you home, Nimona."

"It's good to be here...to be _home_ ," Nimona said, saying the word "home" as if it were something unfamiliar but precious to her. She leaned against him and he slipped his arm around her, and they sat together like that until Ambrosius returned with the hot chocolate.

Nimona jumped up and gleefully shouted, "Presents!"

Ballister was politely appreciative of the clothes Ambrosius had bought him, and much more effusive about the board games, while Ambrosius was happy with the set of toy knights and horses that Ballister got him, along with the more practical gift of an armor-polishing kit.

"My old knight has company now," Ambrosius said with a grin, and Ballister smiled at him sheepishly.

Nimona gave Ballister a pair of gloves that she said she had knitted herself, "To match the scarf I gave you last year. I thought about just making one, since your artificial hand doesn't feel the cold, but that might make you might look lopsided."

"Well, we can't have that," Ballister said as he put on both gloves and displayed them proudly. "Thank you, Nimona."

"You look very symmetrical," Ambrosius complimented him.

Nimona had also brought some carrot sticks for Goldilocks, and bottles of shampoo and conditioner for Ambrosius. "An animal-friendly brand," she informed him. 

"Thank you," Ambrosius said, looking pleased.

"Got to keep those golden locks shiny, right, Goldilocks?" Nimona laughed.

"Wheek," the guinea pig squeaked in apparent agreement. Or possibly he just wanted another carrot stick.

Once all the presents were opened, Ballister suggested that they have breakfast. Ambrosius and Nimona appeared to be happy to just stuff themselves on sweets, but Ballister insisted on something more substantial, not to mention healthy. After some resistance from Nimona, who had already devoured two chocolate knights, he finally managed to coax her away from the sweets with the promise of pancakes.

"Pancakes, yay!" she exclaimed, running towards the kitchen. "I get to flip them!"

"Are pancakes loaded with syrup really that much more healthy than candy?" Ambrosius asked.

"Maybe not," Ballister conceded. "But I'll fix some eggs and fruit to go along with them."

"She's still going to be bouncing off the walls," Ambrosius predicted.

"You're just as bad," Ballister said. "Ambrosius...are you really all right with Nimona living with us?" he asked hesitantly. "Assuming that she wants to stay permanently, that is. The two of you didn't exactly get along in the past."

"I'm not the same person that I was back then,"Ambrosius replied, his smile fading into a more serious expression. "And neither is Nimona. I'd like to think that we've both learned from our past mistakes." He reached out to take Ballister's hand in his own. "The three of us belong together." Then he looked back at the guinea pig's cage and smiled. "Or rather, the four of us. We're a family, aren't we?"

"A very odd family," Ballister replied, smiling back at him. "But a family nonetheless, I suppose." He tugged on Ambrosius's hand to pull him closer, and their lips met in a long, lingering kiss. 

"Whoops!" Nimona's voice shouted from the kitchen. "No worries, I've got everything under control! I'm sure that pancake will totally be fine once I scrape it off the ceiling!"

Ballister and Ambrosius pulled apart, alarmed for a moment before they started laughing. "We'd better go check on her before she burns the kitchen down," Ballister growled, trying to sound stern and put-upon. But he couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear as he and Ambrosius headed to the kitchen, still holding hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Not long before Yuletide sign-ups started, I had read the Nimona graphic novel and fallen in love with the characters. My only complaint about it was that I wanted to read more about them, so I was thrilled to see your prompt of "Post-epilogue Blackheart/Goldenloin + Nimona coming back," because that's exactly what I wanted to read, too! And when I saw your suggestion of epistolary fic, I knew that I wanted to write a story about Nimona sending letters to Ballister, which also turned out to be a good way for her to slowly work towards a reconciliation with Ballister (and Ambrosius). 
> 
> The story was inspired, as you might have guessed, by the two Christmas stories at the end of the book, plus a little inspiration from the Gay Dads AU for Nimona's Christmas presents.


End file.
